Back in 1974, the United States introduced the UPC barcode, revolutionizing product handling for suppliers, logistics providers, and retailers. Europe followed a few years later, adopting the EAN barcode in 1978. Nearly every checkout system today still relies on the barcode’s simplicity and rock-solid reliability.

Almost 50 years later, however, the industry is asking for more. There is growing demand to include batch numbers, serial numbers, and best-before dates (details that traditional barcodes simply can’t handle without becoming unwieldy).

The pharmaceutical industry took the lead in 2019, requiring all medications to use Datamatrix codes instead of barcodes to store more detailed information.

For everyone else, GTIN barcodes remain the norm but those days might come to an end. GS1, the global standards organization behind barcodes, is now advocating a transition to Datamatrix or QR codes to support richer data.

Among these two, QR codes clearly have the edge: every smartphone can read them instantly, and brands can use the embedded URL to host a full product page complete with detailed descriptions, ingredients, photos, and videos.

AI is a bet you must now make

As brands make this transition, there’s a great opportunity to introduce Generative AI as part of the experience.

By adding a colorful bubble or gradient around the QR code, companies can signal that a conversational AI is available. A partner like Ask Mona can make this simple, unlocking real benefits without heavy technical constraints.

Once scanned, the shopper (or even a store associate) lands on the product page and sees a button to chat with a private AI Agent, one that answers any question naturally, in their own language.

Meanwhile, the brand gains access to reports that provide invaluable insights:

• What shoppers are asking
• How the AI Agent is responding
• Where information might be missing

The Product team can use this data to continuously improve both the AI’s knowledge base and the overall customer experience.

Taking It Step by Step

If the full transition from barcodes to QR codes takes longer than planned, suppliers can still introduce branded QR codes early, adding them to packaging or in-store displays while keeping the barcode in place a bit longer.

That way, shoppers and retailers can start discovering richer, more interactive product experiences today, while the technical shift unfolds behind the scenes.

Conclusion

Just like barcodes once did, QR codes and generative AI are opening a new era for brands.

Every product can become an intelligent touchpoint, one that talks to customers and delivers valuable insights. It is a concrete opportunity to elevate the shopping experience, enrich your content, and boost conversions.

The technology is ready, adoption is growing. Waiting only means letting others capture the value first. Start small, measure, refine and take a decisive step ahead of your market today.

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